Aphrodisiac: The Sexual Secret of Marijuana

Maybe at the onset of the 70s, when this documentary was made, the beneficial qualities of the marijuana plant were considered secrets to mainstream America. But to devotees of the feel-good recreational drug, those who understand that glaucoma, blue jeans with holes in the knees and layoffs at Frito-Lay could all be eradicated with legalization, its magical qualities have been known all along.

Released in 1971, Aphrodisiac: The Sexual Secret of Marijuana is a tribute to the plant that has caused more rifts in the political spectrum and more sex at college frat parties than any other in the history of existence. Originally released as a home video free of the sex parts, this particular version of the film is the uncut version. It features testimonials from marijuana users about the sexual benefits of the plant and shows them engaged in the throes of passion. Underlying the action is narration done by the standard golden-throated announcer, similar to those that used to grace those old war-era propaganda films.

While the presentation of facts, cultivation tips, use during wartime, food recipes and so on are true to life, the sex parts are not quite as explicit or as frequent as one might like in a porn film. Sure, it’s full-on nudity and penetration and such, but there are no money shots to be seen at any point. Granted, this isn’t really a porn film; it’s more of a documentary with some explicit sex scenes thrown in for good measure.

That said, a very young John Holmes makes an appearance as a business man who is working late on a presentation. His assistant breaks out the joint to help him focus and the result is a borderline spiritual experience instead of just down and dirty fucking.

Throughout the film, others too make their case why marijuana is so effective as a sexual stimulant. But, they all seem to be done tongue-in-cheek. For instance, while cheating on her husband at a party, a woman raves about the potency of hash while telling the story of how the guy she wanted to bang couldn’t get it up because he was loaded on alcohol.

“It’s the most beautiful sex I ever had,” says another woman. When she and her man toked up and got together her “vagina started burning” and “she wanted to suck him inside her and keep him there forever.” She should know because she’s a fiction writer. Hmmmm. Her conclusion: weed is the “greatest sexual stimulant since the 12-inch penis and a hell of a lot easier to find.”

Another guy claims his honeymoon was a disaster because of the way parents scare the hell out of their kids in regards to sex. The point here was that because female marijuana users were more likely to have premarital sex, his bride-to-be would have had more experience in the sack had she tried it, thus allowing him to penetrate her before 6am the night of the ceremony.

Finally, yet another girl lauds the benefits, saying her first pot helped her relax enough to have her first sex and first black (guy) in the lone interracial scene of the bunch.

ATSSOM is interesting and informative. But it’s not really porn in the classic sense. Still, there is enough nudity, disco bush and young John Holmes to keep your attention during the course of this documentary. If you want to learn some nuggets of weed wisdom today, but you don’t want to sacrifice images of retro pussy, then you’ve come to the right place.